Jennifer Lawrence to get $10 million for next ‘Hunger Games’

Meriah Doty

Movie TalkAugust 7, 2012

Jennifer Lawrence is in the final stages of negotiating a massive raise for the next "Hunger Games" installment "Catching Fire."

The 21-year-old Oscar-nominated actress, who plays archer Katniss Everdeen in the blockbuster action franchise, is set to multiply the $500,000 salary she earned in the first film by 20: Lawrence is poised to earn $10 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

A large sum by most measures, it is still half of what Kristen Stewart made for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2." Stewart already pulled in $20 million for that sequel -- which plays in theaters this coming November.

Stewart's $20 million payday may seem unfathomably ginormous -- especially in this economy. But Forbes considers her -- along with her cast mate (and estranged boyfriend) Robert Pattinson -- to be among Hollywood's biggest bargains [via THR]. Stewart gets approximately $1 for every $55.83 that her films earn -- much cheaper than Eddie Murphy who gets $1 for every $2.70 his films earn. (Forbes considers Murphy one of Hollywood's most overpaid actors.)

Another bargain actor who has starred in a megahit franchise is "Harry Potter" leading guy Daniel Radcliffe. It may seem impossible. He did make $33 million for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," after all. But seeing as the film made more than $1 billion worldwide, the paycheck may all-of-a-sudden seem pretty fair.

So, in light of the fact that the first "Hunger Games" installment made $684 million worldwide -- coupled with the fact that sequels to films based on popular book series ("Potter" and "Twilight" for example) have historically earned more per movie with each new installment -- Lawrence's $10 million is still arguably a bargain.

The bright side -- and it's a biggie: Lawrence stands to multiply her earnings with each new "Hunger Games" installment. Radcliffe's earnings increased significantly with each "Potter" installment -- starting out at $1 million and ending at $33 million. If "The Hunger Games" series compares to the popularity of "Potter" or "Twilight," Lawrence could be seeing her $20 million paycheck soon... then $30 million... Do I hear $40 million?

The main thing holding Lawrence back from that huge exponential growth is the fact that "The Hunger Games" is merely a trilogy of books. But Lionsgate is already thinking like Warner Bros. -- which expanded "The Hobbit" book into multiple films. The makers of "The Hunger Games" film adaptation series have already announced they are splitting the third and final book "Mockingjay" into two separate films.